Recycling inactive lithium in lithium-sulfur batteries using organic polysulfide redox

The lifespan of practical lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is hindered by the incessant formation of inactive Li. Recycling inactive Li is a promising strategy to recover Li inventory yet this has never been achieved in Li-S batteries due to the obstacle of Li polysulfides (LiPSs). Herein, organic po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2023-04, Vol.11 (14), p.7441-7446
Main Authors: Yao, Li-Yang, Hou, Li-Peng, Song, Yun-Wei, Zhao, Meng, Xie, Jin, Li, Bo-Quan, Zhang, Qiang, Huang, Jia-Qi, Zhang, Xue-Qiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Batteries
Life span
Lithium
Lithium sulfur batteries
Oxidants
Oxidizing agents
Polysulfides
Recycling
Reducing agents
Sulfur
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Summary:The lifespan of practical lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is hindered by the incessant formation of inactive Li. Recycling inactive Li is a promising strategy to recover Li inventory yet this has never been achieved in Li-S batteries due to the obstacle of Li polysulfides (LiPSs). Herein, organic polysulfide redox is proposed to recycle inactive Li by employing 2-aminophenylacetonitrile (APA) as a redox precursor. APA first reacts with Li and then with S to form an oxidant for recycling inactive Li (O-RIL) by connecting long-chain PSs with the moiety in APA. Then, O-RIL diffuses to the anode side, reacting with inactive Li and generating a reductant for recycling inactive Li (R-RIL) with short-chain LiPSs. The circulation of R-RIL and O-RIL enables continuous redox to recycle inactive Li, which improves the lifespan of Li-S batteries from 40 to 140 cycles under practical conditions. This work demonstrates the importance of recycling inactive Li for developing practical Li-S batteries. Organic polysulfide redox is proposed to recycle inactive Li, significantly improving the lifespan of Li-S batteries under practical conditions.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/d3ta00096f